


I Reached You

by haato_biito



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5839585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haato_biito/pseuds/haato_biito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Kirito was already there when Asuna finally awoke from the hell of ALfheim Online? What if he was there to see her first conscious breaths, her first tears as she cried out his name? What if first thing that entered her eyes was the sight of the one she  loved most, tenderly holding her hand, softly caressing her heart with the soft comfort of his words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Reached You

**Author's Note:**

> Title: I Reached You
> 
> Fandom: Sword Art Online
> 
> Pair: Kirito and Asuna
> 
> Word Length: 1.3k
> 
> [Can also be read on tumblr](http://asuunaa.tumblr.com/post/123269711782)

The swirling, dancing whiteness mixed gracefully with the deep blue of the sky as it filtered gently through the windowpane. It was one, behemoth blur of light against dark, as the moon tried desperately to add a shine to the pitch-black world below it. No matter how hard she tried to focus her eyes, she could not do so, and, as the first specks of dust came into view, she remembered what happened, where she was, and what the pale gleam on her chestnut hair represented. As she took in the first voluntary breath of air she had done in the past two and a half years, her eyes filled with tears, and her lip trembled as she sobbed, her voice catching gently in her constricted throat. It was so overwhelming, she could not control the hot flow of tears that ran into the crevices of her neck, the shaking of her chest. For the first time in her life, she used her quiet voice to whisper out into the chilled air of that dimmed hospital room a name that she would never forget for the rest of her life,

“K-Kirito-kun…”

On the 23rd of January at 1:27am, Asuna woke from her sleep, and called out to the person that had held her so tenderly in his comforting arms.

Asuna could not swallow, could not think, could not move. It was painful to breathe in the abnormally fresh air. The uneventful slumber between being released from the NerveGear’s clutches felt like only a few minutes, yet little did she know that over an hour and a half had passed since that moment.

“Asuna?” called by her name, the beautiful, graceful eyes of the girl turned, and they locked with such a familiar, glistening look of peacefulness, she could not help but gasp, “A-Are you actually awake?” Those black eyes instantly softened, and a small laugh of utter disbelief and joy left the boy’s lips. How could he be here now? Why is he here? Asuna wanted to think these thoughts, yet the shock of seeing the embodiment of the name she just called out only allowed more stinging tears to stain her cheeks,

“Kirito-kun!” Her voice cracked from the two years spent in the virtual world of Aincrad, and her cry was soft and instantly touched the recipient’s heart. Weak from the lack of use, she tried to reach a hand to touch his cheek, to feel every cell of his skin finally pressed against hers. She wanted to see what it was like to no longer have the digital barrier of NerveGear’s data between the two, to be able to hold each other, but she could only get halfway in the air before her fragile muscles started to shake, “You’re here, Kirito-kun!” She took in an unsteady breath, and stared at him with such longing and loveliness that when he reached down and took her failing hand in his, he could not help but kiss it compassionately. His hand was so, so warm, and she could feel the tiny hairs on the backs of his fingers. Instantly her cheeks flushed crimson, and the warmest smile that the boy had seen on her pure face shone as bright as the moon, “You came… for me…”

“Of course I did. I was expecting you to be awake when I came in, but to see your sleeping face, it was worth waiting for you to wake by yourself. You’re so… beautiful.” He couldn’t find a more fitting word, and couldn’t stop the heat coming to his eyes.

“Please, don’t cry. Don’t cry.” Asuna pleaded, and coaxed him to bring her hand up to his cheek. She stroked the soft skin, and wiped away the tears. He always looked so much younger when he cried, a sort of innocence that she could not help but also cry over.

“I’m sorry. Just give me a chance to feel this moment.” His voice had become nasally, and cracked at the end as another tear plopped onto the sheets of the hospital bed. He carefully placed her hand back on her abdomen, as if scared that he was going to disturb the peaceful atmosphere, and leaned down to stroke her forehead. It was then that she realised how cold her body was, how pale she had become. Her whole body shook under his touch.

“Are you okay? Does anything hurt?” he asked quietly, wiping his eyes as he tried to control his sudden emotion.

“I’m fine, nothing hurts except the light pain in the arm I moved.” She could not deny that one fact, and it brought Kirito to the fine conclusion that she was, indeed, and finally, human. There was nothing in the way of them; no pixels, no data, no signals from the real to the digital. The pain they both felt was real, and the love they both felt was real.

“Don't move, then.” She closed her eyes tranquilly. The life-support machines behind her beeped quietly, creating an easing atmosphere. The soothing touch of his fingers along her forehead, the warmth of his leg against hers as he sat on the edge of the bed, and the cool breeze through the window were enough to completely satisfy her. She was finally home, and home with the one person she cared about more than her own self. His fingers moved slowly and lightly, as if scared that he would break her, and the action was to maternal that she could not help but find humour in the small act of love. However, her heart still beat heavily in her chest because of his presence, because of his touch, and she longed for nothing more than to stay there forever. Then suddenly, he stopped. A still breath against her ear whispered,

“Stay still” and a tender, loving warmth pressed onto her lips. She eased herself into reciprocating this gesture, feeling her lips buzz with the sensitivity of her senses. She had not been touched in so long, and such an intimate touch temporarily made her lose her sense of self. Her cheeks flared and butterflies flew up into the reaches of her stomach. The soft pillow accepted the new weight, and the sheets rustled as he tried to find her hand. He glided his fingers down her chest from her neck, along her abdomen, and eventually found the small hand. Every nerve ending in her body was electric, and she melted into the bed supporting her. His fingers clasped around her own, and she was in utopia. Everything was warm, everything was soft and so tragically beautiful. He had reached so far to finally find her. He had travelled worlds to find her, and it was all so worth it. She could not control the next flow of tears that escaped her, and when he parted with her, she sobbed openly as he this time wiped them away.

“I’m so glad… I-I’m so glad…” she whispered to him, “I’m so glad we were f-finally able to m-meet…”

“It’s okay.” He replied soothingly, watching the jolting rise-and-fall of her abdomen whilst stroking the porcelain skin in his hand, “You knew I would free you, and you knew I would find you. After all, we did make that promise.” She nodded, but was not able to control her cries of happiness and relief.

“I k-know. I just love you so much…”

“I love you too.” There was a small silence when the two of them didn’t speak, only held each other’s hands and comforted one another with light kisses and tender strokes of the fingers. It was such an intimate moment, as they once again tried to rediscover themselves and each other. They both wanted so much more, but knew that they had to take it slow. This was all they could do to love each other and reach out to each other for now. Kirito glided his fingers along her skin, and she replied with tiny butterfly kisses.

Asuna was the one to break the cherished silence.

“Yuuki Asuna.” She squeezed his hand, and by that he knew, “My name is Yuuki Asuna. I’m home, Kirito-kun”

“I’m Kirigaya Kazuto. Welcome home, Asuna.”


End file.
